Atletico Madrid vs Slovan Bratislava Prediction: Comfortable win for the hosts

Atletico Madrid are on a roll. The Spanish side have won nine games on the spin in all competitions, including their last two in the Uefa Champions League. Up next for them in Europe is a home clash with Slovan Bratislava on Wednesday (17:45, TNT Sports 3).

The visitors have lost all five of their Champions League matches to date and will need something special to turn their fortunes around. Read on for my Atletico Madrid vs Slovan Bratislava prediction, accompanied by the latest team news and match odds.

Atletico Madrid vs Slovan Bratislava Odds

Atletico Madrid are 1/14 to win this match, giving them an implied probability of 93.3%. They have won just one of their two home ties in Europe so far, though. Slovan Bratislava are valued at 28/1 to pick up a rare three points, which gives them a theoretical chance of 3.4%. The draw can be backed at 10/1 (9.1%).

Both teams to score has struck in three of Atleti's Champions League matches to date and it is priced at 11/8 for this clash. Over 2.5 goals has landed in four of Slovan Bratislava's five European clashes thus far, and is on offer at 2/7 for this one.

Football Odds

Team News

Atletico winger Thomas Lemar could be back in contention having returned to training following an injury that has seen him miss the last eight matches. Nahuel Molina overcame a hamstring issue to make the squad at the weekend against Sevilla.

Diego Simeone could be tempted to freshen up the side to allow rest to some stars for the La Liga clash with Getafe at the weekend. Midfielder Koke will be hoping for a return to the lineup, having started four of his side's league phase encounters so far.

Julian Alvarez has netted four goals in his last four appearances, while Antoine Griezmann has scored five goals in his previous four matches. Simeone is probably thinking its best not to disrupt their momentum and to continue with them leading the line on Wednesday.

Angel Correa, who has scored three times in the Champions League, is another player who will be looking for an opportunity on Wednesday, as will the likes of Alexander Sorloth, Axel Witsel, Samuel Lino and Robin Le Normand.

Slovan Bratislava will be missing Marko Tolic for this one due to the red card he picked up against AC Milan last time out. Defender Matus Vojtko was absent from the weekend's league defeat to Zilina, so it looks unlikely we will see him on Wednesday.

Forward David Strelec will pose their biggest goal threat having scored all four of his side's goals in Europe so far. He is set to lead the line again for them.

Atletico Madrid -2 handicap @ 7/10

With the hosts on an impressive winning streak and the visitors losing every single match in this competition so far, I can only see one outcome. Yet, seeing as there isn't value to be had in covering the victory on its own, I've had to seek a better price elsewhere.

If we're being honest, 7/10 is not the best of improvements but it's a lot better than 1/14. This price is for Atleti to win with a -2 handicap. If you're unfamiliar with this market, this means that Slovan Bratislava will start the game with a hypothetical 2-0 lead.

So for this bet to be a winner, Atletico Madrid would need to win the game 3-0, or score at least three more goals than their opponents.

I don't think it should be too difficult for Simeone's side. They're full of confidence and have scored nine goals in their last two La Liga appearances. Their last Champions League match saw them thrash Sparta Prague 6-0 away from home, so I think we could see them rack up a few more goals on Wednesday, especially as they are on home soil.

As I mentioned earlier, Alvarez and Griezmann are getting a lot of joy in front of goal right now, so both could have big roles to play in this game. Even if Atleti are rotated, I still think there is enough strength in depth for them to help this selection over the line.

The visitors will be very low on confidence, too, which cannot be ignored. They know they are heading to face a team in great form and this could lead to a slow start from them, which Atleti could wind up taking advantage of.

Julian Alvarez to score first @ 3/1

Former Manchester City man Alvarez is currently enjoying his best scoring streak since his summer switch to Atletico, and it is leading to more confidence in his play. Four goals in four matches is impressive and the Argentine looks to be getting into his groove for the Spanish club.

He will fancy himself to keep his hot streak going against a side rooted near the bottom of the table and who have leaked 18 goals in the first five games. I expect he, along with Griezmann, could be in for a field day on Wednesday night, as both are in fine form and this could prove too much to handle for Slovan Bratislava.

I think we will see Alvarez score again but to better the odds, I've gone for him to open the scoring, which could be a snip at 3/1.

Offers

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